The streets of Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city, have become a battleground as thousands of pro-EU demonstrators clash with riot police amid a deepening political crisis. For five consecutive nights, protesters have rallied outside parliament, outraged by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to shelve EU accession talks after claiming victory in a disputed election.
Authorities fired teargas into the crowds in an attempt to disperse them, while some protesters launched fireworks at the police lines. Dozens have been injured on both sides since the unrest began last Thursday, according to officials and activists.
‘No Negotiations,’ Vows Defiant PM
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has taken a hard line, refusing any potential dialogue with the opposition. He claimed the protests were “funded from abroad” and vowed, “there will be no revolution in Georgia.”
Kobakhidze also accused Western countries of failing to condemn what he called “organized violence” by the demonstrators, even as they criticized the heavy-handed police response. But those on the streets remained defiant.
“We don’t care about their orders, they are breaking the law every day,” Giorgi, a 35-year-old protester, told reporters. “We have to stand here and protest against this dictatorship that is coming.”
– Giorgi, Georgian protester
President Challenges Election Results
Georgia’s pro-EU President Salome Zourabichvili has backed what she calls a “resistance movement” against Georgian Dream. She asked the constitutional court to annul the election result, declaring the new parliament and government “illegitimate.”
Zourabichvili also slammed the police crackdown, saying detained protesters “have been subjected to systematic beatings” and suffered severe injuries. Rights groups echoed her condemnation of the excessive force.
Clashes Continue Into the Night
As night fell on Monday, riot police continued to push back against the crowds. An AFP reporter saw several dozen young protesters singing the Georgian national anthem while standing motionless in front of a wall of masked officers.
Others took refuge in a church opposite parliament, while hundreds more were hit by waves of teargas. The air was thick with smoke from fires lit by demonstrators and the crack of fireworks launched towards police lines.
Geopolitical Tensions Simmer
Critics accuse Georgian Dream, which has governed for over a decade, of steering the country away from Europe and towards Russia – a charge the party denies. The Kremlin, meanwhile, has defended the government’s response.
“The authorities are trying to stabilize the situation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, accusing protesters of wanting to “stir up” unrest like Ukraine’s 2014 ‘Maidan’ uprising that ousted a pro-Russian leader.
– Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman
With Georgia’s EU aspirations hanging by a thread, opposition lawmakers boycotting parliament, and no end in sight to the unrest, the country appears to be lurching deeper into crisis. As the teargas clears from Tbilisi’s streets each morning, the political smoke shows no signs of dissipating.
